Aiden's POV

The school courtyard was quiet during lunch, the soft hum of distant chatter fading into the background. Aiden had convinced Serafina to step outside and get some air after noticing her fidgeting with her sleeves in the cafeteria. She seemed anxious, like the walls were closing in on her.

Now, they sat on a low stone bench beneath the shade of a tree, the sunlight filtering through its leaves. Aiden sipped on his soda, watching Serafina poke at her untouched sandwich.

"You're going to starve if you keep doing that," he teased gently, hoping to lighten her mood.

Serafina offered a faint smile but didn't respond. She pulled her sleeves down further, as if shielding herself from the world.

"You okay?" Aiden asked, his voice softer now.

She hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're a terrible liar, you know."

She glanced at him, surprised by the bluntness, but there was no malice in his tone—just concern. She sighed and looked away, fiddling with her bracelet.

"It's just been... a lot," she admitted.

"I get that. Yesterday was rough."

She nodded again but didn't elaborate. Aiden didn't press. He had learned that pushing too hard would only make her retreat further. Instead, he sat quietly, letting her set the pace of the conversation.

As they sat in silence, a gust of wind blew past, rustling the leaves and tugging at her sleeve. She reached up absentmindedly to adjust it, and that's when he saw it.

Faint, crisscrossing lines etched into the pale skin of her forearm. They were subtle, but unmistakable. Scars.

Aiden froze, his soda can slipping from his grasp and hitting the ground with a soft thud.

"Fina," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She looked up at him, confused, until she followed his gaze. Realizing what he had seen, her eyes widened, and she yanked her sleeve down, her movements frantic.

"I—I didn't mean for you to see that," she stammered, her voice trembling.

"Fina," he repeated, his heart sinking. "Why?"

Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head, her hands gripping the fabric of her sleeve like a lifeline. "I don't... I can't..."

Aiden moved closer, his tone gentle but firm. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not angry. I just... I need to understand."

She looked down, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to find the words. "It's... it's hard to explain," she finally said. "It's like... when everything feels too much, it's the only thing that makes it stop. Just for a little while."

Aiden's chest tightened. He didn't know what to say. How could he respond to something so raw, so heartbreaking?

"You don't have to deal with this alone," he said after a moment. "You know that, right? You have me. You have your family."

"I know," she whispered. "But sometimes it feels like... like I'm drowning, and no one can pull me out."

Aiden reached out and gently took her hand, his thumb brushing against her knuckles. "We can pull you out, Fina. You just have to let us."

She looked at him, her tear-filled eyes searching his for something—reassurance, maybe, or hope. "What if I'm too broken?"

"You're not," he said firmly. "You're not broken, Fina. You're hurting, yeah, but that doesn't make you any less... you."

Her lip quivered, and she finally let the tears fall. Aiden pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly as she cried into his shoulder.

For a long time, they sat there, her sobs gradually fading into quiet sniffles. When she finally pulled back, she looked at him with a mixture of gratitude and vulnerability.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Anytime," he said, giving her a small smile. "But promise me something?"

"What?"

"Promise me you'll talk to someone about this. Whether it's me, your mom, your dad... someone. Don't keep it bottled up, okay?"

She hesitated before nodding. "I'll try."

"That's all I ask."

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, but neither of them moved. For the first time in a long time, Serafina felt a flicker of hope. Maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought.